Rain Gear and rain bike care?

[consularrider]

No one has mentioned rain capes yet. I got a cheapo vinyl one from Monkey King a few years ago and then got the one from J&G a year ago. As long as it’s not too windy they are great for protection while commuting. Unfortunately, they’re not so great on century rides.

[birddog]

It should be a fun commute home in the rain today.

But it should be warmer – so I’m only going for a t-shirt and my rain jacket with my full-length bib.

[hozn]

@ejwillis62 40165 wrote:

Getting fenders on Saturday, anything else?

Fenders with mudguards. E.g. Planet Bike Cascadia. I “retrofitted” the Cascadia mudguards to my SKS P35 fenders; that works well. W/o the mudguards my feet were getting drenched from water streaming off the end of the front fender.

The most comfortable clothing setup I have found for real rain is:
– Gore rain pants (Goretex). I wear either knickers or lightweight tights underneath. Nothing worse than skin directly against this plastic-feeling fabric. Beware these tend to fit a little short (I am 34 inseam and the size L is just a tad short — works fine in conjunction with shoe covers, but pulls up too short for my winter cycling boots).
– REI Novarra eVent cycling waterproof jacket
– Gore waterproof shoe covers
– Wool socks. Inevitablly water can still make its way in (e.g. from bottom of shoes), so wool is nice.
– Helmet cover or waterproof cycling cap
– Fleece gaiter, if temps warrant it.
– Waterproof gloves. Or at least water resistant. I have a set of LG Windtex gloves that claim to be waterproof (they’re not, but they resist light rain fine) and a set of Gore gloves.

The Gore pants are still hot, but they breathe much better than others I have tried (e.g. LG, Performance). In general Gore stuff is expensive, but it works and is well constructed. The REI eVent jacket is phenomenal and a great value. Beware rain stuff that doesn’t breathe; you will end up soaked from sweat which isn’t any better than being soaked from rain.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

@consularrider 40322 wrote:

No one has mentioned rain capes yet. I got a cheapo vinyl one from Monkey King a few years ago and then got the one from J&G a year ago. As long as it’s not too windy they are great for protection while commuting. Unfortunately, they’re not so great on century rides.

I have one of the Rivendell rain capes. It’s fairly heavy vinyl and stays put. I went on a ride in 45 degree pouring rain with a group of folks last year and I was the only one who was really dry at the end. It covers your hands and handlebars so that the only thing that gets wet is your toes or sometimes your shins. It’s more like a small tent than a poncho though.

[Arlingtonrider]

Darth Vader rain kit for total 8 mile comfort:

Ridiculously cheap rain jacket (worn over slightly lighter than usual layering) (Added note: This jacket has about a 3 inch panel of open mesh that runs all the way along the sides, under the armpits, and all the way down the sleeves.)

Ridiculously expensive WxB hood with visor and neck coverage

Ridiculously silly-looking Gore wind protection face mask

= ridiculously happy person in photo after riding home in rain [ATTACH=CONFIG]2261[/ATTACH]

[ejwillis62]

I rode home it was wet but not to bad. At least I had the mount vernon trail to myself. Not many people out there today.
It was fun it was really only a must till the end then coming over the Woodrow Wilson bridge it poured on me.
All and all not horrible I think I was lucky it wasn’t too cold.
Glad I rode and got my points.

[thecyclingeconomist]

@Arlingtonrider 40392 wrote:

Darth Vader rain kit for total 8 mile comfort[ATTACH=CONFIG]2261[/ATTACH]

I call it my bank-robber look: [ATTACH=CONFIG]2262[/ATTACH]

[krazygl00]

I don’t know if they still have them, but a few weeks ago Home Depot had this Seattle Sports dry bag two pack on sale for $15 in-store. These would be great for packing your non-waterproof backpack or panniers.

Personally, I went with this, the Ortlieb Rolltop Classic Messenger Backpack which is a great commuter bag if, like me, you despise panniers. Mine happens to be in the Limited Edition Durkl DC Colorway, which is kind of cool but I only got because I bought it on CL. It’s actually a pretty hip bag to those in the know, I think, but people at work joke that it looks like a Domino’s Pizza bag so there goes what’s left of my dignity.

[DaveK]

@krazygl00 40519 wrote:

I don’t know if they still have them, but a few weeks ago Home Depot had this Seattle Sports dry bag two pack on sale for $15 in-store. These would be great for packing your non-waterproof backpack or panniers.

Those are basically my panniers without the clips on the back. Although I wish I could have gotten mine in white.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2273[/ATTACH]

[Dirt]

Great thread y’all! You’ve covered a lot of things. I’ll talk a little about rain gear. There are two extremes and varying levels in between.

Very inexpensive rain gear can be GREAT at keeping rain out, but it also keeps perspiration in.

Very expensive rain gear keeps rain out very well but also is well vented and lets perspiration out.

In between the two extremes are many garments that do a pretty good job of keeping you dry a while and breathe pretty well. The best thing is to find something that meets your budget and riding.

Additionally you need to ride in a way that suits the strength of your rain gear. If you have a jacket that is very rain resistant, but doesn’t breathe well, the key is to ride a little slower and not generate as much heat. If you start to get cold, pick up the pace a little and generate a little heat… then back it off before you overheat.

There are some good values for people who are going to ride in the rain often.

1) Endura is a British company that makes some LOVELY rain gear. The Flyte jacket is under $200 and works AMAZINGLY well. That is what I wore when riding through Hurricane Sandy. It vents well, but if I’m really hammering, I can work up a good sweat in it. The Venturi is the next model up and it adds zippers in the arm pits and a few other features. The Venturi pants and 3/4 pants (aka knickers — can’t call them knickers in the UK without making people giggle) are AWESOME!!!!

2) Showers Pass makes a few different jackets. I love the Elite. It is a litlte more expensive. I know a dozen people with this jacket. One has had quality problems with theirs (Jabberwocky on the forum). His has basically fallen apart. He got an Endura and he’s happy with it.

3) Pearl-izumi makes a few really good ones in different ranges. The Barrier series are usually the ones that have some sense of water resistance. the $90 one is okay, the $180 one is better. Above that and you should look at Endura or Showers Pass.

Many companies make clear plastic rain capes. They work great, but it is easy to sweat out in them.

I hope that helps a little.

[TwoWheelsDC]

One thing I noticed today is that rain gear over bare skin sucks, and wearing it with at least a base layer underneath is way better, even if it’s warm out. On other rainy days we’ve had this year, I’ve worn my rain pants over my wool knickers and haven’t really had breathability issues, but today, I wore the rain pants over just my bib shorts and was not comfortable at all. It seems counterintuitive, but I think I actually sweat less when I wear a base layer under the rain stuff…or at least I feel less sweaty, which ends up being more comfortable.

[Dirt]

@TwoWheelsDC 40529 wrote:

One thing I noticed today is that rain gear over bare skin sucks.

Yup. Agree. Even with more expensive stuff it helps to have at least a thin layer between you and jacket.

[Arlingtonrider]

I’d like to elaborate a little more after reading Dirt’s excellent post (and great info posted here by others). There are definite advantages to getting good rain outerwear. For those who only ride in rain occasionally however, or just for short distances, I’d like to add a few more pros and cons on the inexpensive Louis Garneau (plastic but vented) jacket I use most of the time.

PROS:

Has very long apron in back, which is very nice if you don’t have fenders (or forgot to put your detachable ones on). All the road grunge that collects on your back can easily be cleaned off the jacket by wiping with a sponge or giving it a shower.

Really keeps the rain off and is a very effective windbreaker in cooler weather. I wear lighter layers under it, and if I still get warm despite the good venting on the sides and arms, can open the neck or most or all of the front and still stay mostly dry.

CONS:

Forget this jacket if you wear a backpack or messenger bag. It’s delicate and the seams will rip out easily if strained. They can be patched easily with duct tape, packaging tape, or glue (for the velcro zipper) but are not designed for rough use or to be closely fitted in such a way that the seams pull. Because of that, i view these jackets as good for one or two years only, depending on how you handle/take care of them.

GENERAL:

If you plan to ride in the rain a lot, or on long or hard rides, its definitely worth springing for one of the good jackets. Be careful in selecting one though, because some of the moderate and expensive ones are not well vented or do not breathe well. Go with ones recommended by Dirt. He knows.

As Dirt mentioned, the comfort factor also depends on how fast and how far you ride. My jacket worked fine for me on a 20 mile trail ride last weekend, but I did open the front after awhile, esp. after getting into some hills. It’s a great option for occasional use by those who don’t wear things on the shoulders, esp. for short, easy trips, and an excellent temporary solution if you don’t yet have fenders. It’s so inexpensive that you can keep it at the office as an emergency jacket for unexpected rainstorms. If I ever become a more serious cyclist, I’ll definitely get one of the better jackets.

OK, time for coffee.

[eminva]

Pete, do I remember correctly, or did you once extol the virtues of the Rapha rain jacket? I guess it is a little more expensive than the ones you mention above (though less expensive than the Assos, possibly). If so, did you change your mind?

Without researching any of the models mentioned in this or the similar thread, one of my pet peeves is that oftentimes the selection is much more limited for women, and certain models just aren’t available for women.

@Arlingtonrider 40569 wrote:

If I ever become a more serious cyclist, I’ll definitely get one of the better jackets.

Arlingtonrider, don’t look now, but you ARE a serious cyclist . . .

Liz

[jwfisher3]

@eminva 40571 wrote:

Pete, do I remember correctly, or did you once extol the virtues of the Rapha rain jacket? I guess it is a little more expensive than the ones you mention above (though less expensive than the Assos, possibly). If so, did you change your mind?

Without researching any of the models mentioned in this or the similar thread, one of my pet peeves is that oftentimes the selection is much more limited for women, and certain models just aren’t available for women.
.

Liz

Liz – I have several rain jackets, and a Rapha rain jacket is one of them, though it is not the City Rain Jacket (which is supposedly crafted more for urban riding, vice road cycling) – the Rapha is typically well constructed, and quite waterproof, very form fitting, and expensive. I think the women’s model is quite similar, and agree with you that gear crafted for females is generally lacklustre, Rapha is a conscientious exception. I don’t think the Rapha lends itself well to layering, and I’d say the same about my Rapha softshell jacket, which is very water resistant, so I carry/wear these only on “roadie” rides, not commutes. When I commute, I use either a Showers Pass Transit jacket (lots of room, great for layering, tough, and easy to ventilate – construction is just a bit sketchy) or my Endura Flyte, which is sort of close fitting without leaving me no room to layer for fall/winter. I only bemoan its lack of ways to vent (pitzips, etc.)

[Author]

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